White-bearded old man seated and hunched, hand over his mouth and eyes downcast, on a stone throne

The Prophet Jeremiah

See it in the 3D Museum View the full image

What you see

Jeremiah fills almost the whole space, seated on a painted stone throne. He leans forward, chin propped on his hand and eyes lowered; his other hand hangs loosely between his knees, and his legs are crossed. Behind him, two smaller figures, one on each side, keep their heads bowed or turned away. Below, a plaque bears his name.

His robes mix red, salmon and pink with a green trim, set against the gray of the painted architecture. His hands and feet are huge and heavy. Don’t miss the plaque reading “HIEREMIAS,” held up by a small child, the reliefs of children on the pillars, and the little sheet with lettering peeking out on the left, beside the throne.

About Michelangelo

Michelangelo Buonarroti saw himself above all as a sculptor, but the pope asked him to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. He worked for four years on scaffolding, painting hundreds of giant figures above his head. He was also an architect and a poet, and lived to be almost 89.

All 10 works by Michelangelo